Surging Lobos take on slumping Aggies

Albuquerque, NM (SportsNetwork.com) - Tied with San Diego State for the top
spot in the Mountain West Conference standings, the 25th-ranked New Mexico
Lobos turn their attention toward the visiting Utah State Aggies at home
tonight.

Since losing back-to-back games against Kansas and New Mexico State in the
middle of December, the Lobos have been trying to regain their momentum and
catch up to streaking San Diego State which, up until recently, was enjoying
an unprecedented 20-game win streak. There have been a couple bumps in the
conference road for UNM, falling to UNLV at home and then on the road at Boise
State, but since the setback to the Broncos the team has rattled off three
straight victories.

The most recent win for New Mexico was an overwhelming 58-44 thrashing of the
Aztecs this past Saturday in The Pit. The outcome knocked SDSU down in the
national rankings from sixth to 13th, and elevated the Lobos into the
spotlight, as well as give them a 12-2 league ledger.

While the Lobos are now vying to take the regular-season title in the MWC once
again, the same cannot be said for the Aggies who entered the week ninth in
the standings with a record of only 5-10. The team had won three straight
games earlier this month, but is now dealing with a three-game slide, having
lost to visiting Fresno State on Saturday, 79-76.

The Lobos won the first meeting of the season late last month by a score of
78-65 at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, thanks to the efforts of Cameron
Bairstow who tallied 22 points, pulled down six rebounds and blocked four
shots for the visitors. As a result, the all-time series now numbers 19-5 in
favor of Utah State surprisingly enough.

Utah State led by four early in the meeting against the Bulldogs on Saturday
night, but that didn't last and eventually turned into a 16-point deficit and
three-point loss. Preston Medlin, who shot just 2-of-9 from the floor and
finished with six points, was the only starter not to score in double figures
for a USU group that was led by Jarred Shaw with 18 points. Kyle Davis logged
a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, followed by TeNale
Roland and Spencer Butterfield with 12 and 10 points, respectively, not to
mention six assists each.

In conference games this season USU, which is just 1-6 on the road versus the
rest of the MWC, is scoring a mere 65.9 ppg and shooting only 44.0 percent
from the field which is out of character. Shaw accounts for 13.8 points and
8.3 rebounds per contest, both of which are team highs, but for someone who
handles the ball as much as he does, even accidentally he should have more
than 11 assists in 14 starts. Butterfield (12.5 ppg) and Medlin (11.7 ppg)
also pitch in at the offensive end of the court.

Bairstow stole the show on offense for the Lobos against San Diego State, as
he cranked out 26 points and cleared nine rebounds, showing that almost no one
in the MWC can stop him when he is on his game. Perhaps even more remarkable
was the fact that Bairstow wasn't charged with a single foul, the team being
hit with just 11 infractions. Because of the near-perfect effort by New Mexico
on defense, limiting SDSU to a season-low in points, the Aztecs also made it
to the free-throw line only three times and missed each of those
opportunities. Kendall Williams chipped in 10 points and seven assists for the
hosts.

Through 26 games, Bairstow has become the top performer for the Lobos this
season, leading the team in scoring (20.5 ppg) as he shoots 56.2 percent from
the floor, not to mention placing second both on the glass (7.2 rpg) and in
the shot-blocking department (40). Williams, who was thought to be the top
player in the Mountain West heading into the campaign, is still one of the
best players with his 17.3 ppg and 130 assists, even while being overshadowed
by the big man in the paint.